SINGAPORE — There were three workplace deaths in the first month of the year, with the most recent being a 44-year-old Malaysian who died when the prime mover he was driving plunged into the sea at Keppel Terminal.

In response to queries from TODAY, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said that it "urges all employers and employees not to take their eyes off the ball but keep doing all they can to prioritise workplace safety".

"While the average number of fatal accidents per month has dropped since MOM implemented the heightened safety period in September last year, all parties must continue to stay vigilant to reduce the number of workplace fatalities and save lives," it added.

Detailing what happened to the trailer truck early on Tuesday (Jan 31) at Keppel Terminal, MOM said that the Malaysian worker was driving a prime mover that was coupled with a trailer loaded with two 20-foot containers.

"His vehicle swerved over the edge of a berth, decoupled from the trailer and fell into the sea.

“His body was recovered later that day."

On Tuesday, the authorities and rescuers were alerted between 1.45am and 2am to the incident and the man’s body was retrieved from the cabin of the prime mover about 14m underwater at 4.30am.

MOM said that the man's employer is Handling System Co.

Port operator PSA Singapore told TODAY earlier that he was employed by one of its contractors. PSA Corporation Limited is the occupier of the work site.

The ministry added: "For companies whose key activities include extensive use of transport or goods vehicles, a workplace traffic management plan should be established and communicated to all levels of staff, contractors and vendors.

“Additionally, companies need to ensure that workplace traffic safety rules, training programmes and safe work procedures are followed by all workers."

SECOND CASE OF WORKPLACE DEATH

On Jan 19, a 66-year-old Singaporean pump attendant was knocked down by a car that was leaving a pump, causing him to fall and hit his head.

This happened at a petrol station along 61 Sengkang East Road at around 1.16am.

The attendant was taken to Sengkang General Hospital, but died from his injuries on Jan 23.

He was employed by Zenith Management Consultants.

FIRST CASE OF WORKPLACE DEATH

On Jan 12, a worker fell four storeys while painting the facade of a condominium block in Bedok.

He had stepped off a suspended scaffold, or a gondola, at the third storey and climbed over a parapet wall to use the stairs to reach the fourth floor.

He then climbed onto an open ledge on the fourth floor and while working on the ledge, he fell and landed in the basement.

He was pronounced dead at the scene, the Workplace Safety and Health Council reported in a Facebook post last week.

The worker was wearing a body harness but it was not anchored, the council added.

The second and third cases are being investigated by MOM, but it has so far not uncovered any serious workplace safety and health lapses that would warrant a stop-work order for now.

"Nevertheless, we have instructed both occupiers (of the sites) to appoint a workplace safety and health auditor to conduct a thorough audit of the workplace,” the ministry said.

Workplace deaths became a major concern last year when 46 people died on the job, higher than the 37 recorded in 2021, 30 in 2020 and 39 in 2019.

The number in 2022 was the highest since 2016, when there had been 66 fatalities at work sites.